Deliverance
by Garowyn
Summary: Athrun, Azrael, and Mwu, three men bound to the fates of the prisoners, Auel, Rey, and Stellar, who possess unearthly powers.
1. 01: Humane or Inhumane?

**A/N: Don't own GS/GSD or Clover, as this story is based somewhat on Clover with a few changes to fit in the GS characters, so yes, there are some spoilers. **

**I've only read volumes 2-4 of Clover, anyway, along with information obtained by web sites. I don't know if there are going to be any more volumes other than volume 4, so I've had to come up with my own interpretations. **

**Let me know if anyone seems OOC in a mature and respectful manner, but remember they haven't lost anyone yet like SEED. Please keep that in mind. Also, I'm still trying to get the hang of Stellar's speech.**

**I realize the first chapter is going to sound like X-men, but really, it's not based on that. It's basically Clover, Gundam Seed Destiny-style. A special thanks goes to my beta reader, Caorann fridh Bronach.**

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01: Humane or Inhumane?

"So this is where you're working?" Nicol Amarfi asked his friend as they paused before the crosswalk leading to the other side of the street.

"Yep." Athrun gestured towards the vast, colossal department buildings, home to scientific projects and experiments for the government. "They transferred me to here. Said they needed my technological expertise for…something." Athrun hesitated, wondering if he should tell Nicol that the project was at the top of the priority list for the government (at least that's what they told him). Stuff like that, he knew, probably existed with the aim of being top-secret, so Athrun decided not to. No sense in getting fired the first day.

"Something, huh?" Nicol's gaze drifted from the block letters on the side of the main building to the domes behind. "I wonder what those are for." He could dimly make out black bars on the inside, reaching towards the top center point. "Almost looks like a cage of some sort."

Athrun shrugged. "Guess I'll find out when I get in there." He lifted his arm to inspect the watch on his wrist. "Well, I'd better head over there, now. Did you want to meet for lunch?"

"Sure." Nicol pressed the button on the side of the traffic light post, awaiting the signal to walk across to the building where he gave piano lessons. "How about at the Pirate Palace?"

Chuckling at the absurdity of the name, Athrun agreed. "Yeah. I'll meet you there. I'll fill you in on those domes."

"Hope you don't get experimented on," Nicol said, giving a wave before he crossed the street. "Catch you later!"

"Right." Athrun waved back and then turned his eyes towards unfamiliar territory. Adjusting the collar of his white shirt and zipping his dark jacket up even further, Athrun began the long trek to the main office across a pathway surrounded by what appeared to be a mini-forest. The small trees and bushes were planted and placed in a way to hide the lower areas of the facility. "How strange."

The twenty-one-year-old checked his watch again, relieved that he wasn't late. Every day he was to report in at approximately nine in the morning and work through to four in the afternoon.

After sliding in his new security card, the system granted Athrun entrance and he immediately went through another identification sequence where they asked him a question, and he had to give the answer they had given him over the phone. Once that was over, a silver door slid open and Athrun went inside. Raising his eyebrows, he took in the futuristic sight of the place: arch beams, clean, white walls, tiled floors, computers and wires everywhere; definitely hi-tech.

A _swoosh_ from nearby doors alerted Athrun of another presence. "Hello, you must be Athrun Zala." The presence was revealed as tall, blonde, blue-eyed man with a grin mirroring an obvious easy-going demeanor. "The name's Mwu La Fllaga," Mwu said and held out his hand. "Welcome to the 'Facility.'"

"Uh, thank you, sir," Athrun said, shaking the twenty-six-year-old's hand.

Mwu chuckled. "No need for the formalities, kid. Just call me Mwu."

Nodding quickly, Athrun forced a smile and dished out a question. "I'm looking for Muruta Azrael-"

"Say no more." Mwu began walking back in the direction from whence he came. "Azrael sent me down to get you. I'll take you to your new office, which is right next to mine. We'll be working together on this little project of his," Mwu said, motioning for Athrun to follow. "You'll be doing all the hard stuff – research and design -- and I'll be putting the thing together."

Athrun, struggling to keep up with his now co-worker's pace, asked, "What kind of project am I, er, _we_ working on?"

"Tell you that later, kid." Mwu flashed his security card for admittance, and stepped through the sliding doors into yet another long hallway. "Right now, I'll give you your 'work clothes' and show you where you can change." They passed by a door marked "44144."

Athrun glanced briefly at the numbers and then returned his attention to the front of him until he passed a window overlooking what appeared to be one of the domes. His pace slowed a fraction, catching a glimpse of what looked like a jungle and a giant bird perched on a rail…no, that was a human! Athrun stopped abruptly.

Mwu, not hearing the footsteps of the younger male, also stopped, looking back to see what the delay was. "Hey, kid. You coming or what?"

"T-There's a girl in there!" Athrun said, flabbergasted. "With…wings?" He pointed at the window, wondering what kind of inhumane experiment was being done. "What's going on in there?"

Mwu's normally cheerful expression turned grim. "That _winged girl_ in there is part of your project."

"What?" Athrun frowned, looking back at Mwu. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." Mwu faced forward. "Come on, we've got a lot to do."

"But--"

Mwu suddenly stalked towards Athrun and grabbed the younger man's arm. "Listen, I don't like the idea of that girl being in there any more than you do," Mwu hissed, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. "But we can't do anything about it. We're not in control of this crazy government experiment, got that?"

Intimidated by the blaze in Mwu's bright blue eyes, Athrun swallowed hard and nodded. "I…I understand." Athrun looked away. Evidently, Mwu had some sort of issue regarding the girl.

Temporarily satisfied, Mwu let go of Athrun's arm and took the lead again with a reluctant smile on his face. "Come on. You have to meet your boss."

* * *

"There are a few things you must know," Azrael, a man almost reflecting Mwu in appearance, began with an air of self-importance. "Wash your own uniform."

Athrun briefly looked down at his black and gold "work" outfit. "Yes, sir."

"Don't delay in designing our protective shield."

"No, sir."

"And lastly – and this is of utmost importance – anything you see or hear _stays_ in here," Azrael finished by leaning forward with a bang of fists on his neatly arranged desk – an effect that worked well in making things he said absolutely clear. "Understood?"

Athrun, who had flinched at the sound, nodded briskly. "Understood."

"Good." Azrael lowered himself into the leather, reclining chair with a satisfied grin. "We don't need unnecessary busybodies or prowlers sticking their noses where they aren't wanted. Isn't that right, _Mr._ La Fllaga?"

Without missing a beat, Mwu replied coolly, "Yes, _Mr._ Azrael, sir."

Raising his eyebrow at the sudden drop of temperature in the room – and he didn't mean in degrees – Athrun shifted uncomfortably, debating whether he ought to ask about the winged girl. After a few moments of arguing with himself, the government service worker initiated the coming conversation with an: "Uh--"

"Oh, yes, you must be wondering what the purpose is of the Shield." Azrael reached for a file sitting on the left side of his desk. "Here. In there you'll find a map of the resources located in this Facility that you will need to use to create the Shield."

Athrun took the folder, catching Azrael's gaze with his own. "Sir, Mr. Azrael, sir, I am…curious as to what the Shield is supposed to protect."

Mwu grimaced inwardly, knowing exactly where this supposedly harmless question was going to lead.

However, Azrael didn't seem offended or suspicious at all. "Ah, yes, any type of safeguard implies that someone or something is being protected, does it not?" Azrael stared at Athrun with such intensity that the younger man had to look away, feeling a bit unnerved. "And I bet I know what you're thinking: who or what is being protected? Mr. Zala, you'll be happy to know in producing the Shield, you will be protecting vulnerable people from the evil doings of the world," he said with a flourish of his hand.

Mwu had to utilize every bit of his willpower and strength to refrain from scoffing or rolling his eyes at this remark. Athrun, though, continued to listen, resisting the urge to blurt out a query about the girl with wings.

"Since you'll be working with La Fllaga here, I suppose it's only fair to tell you about the clovers." Azrael gave a dramatic sigh. "La Fllaga probably won't be able to keep it a secret from you, anyway."

OK, he _really_ wanted to punch the living daylights out of the arrogant, pompous louse! Mwu's hands clenched into fists as he dared to interrupt the _terribly_, _exhausting_ speech Muruta Azrael was delivering. "Azrael, you--"

"I'm not finished speaking, yet." Azrael frowned at the man. "Anyway, before we were rudely interrupted, I was talking about the clovers."

Athrun decided now was the time to intervene with his question. "Yes, I was wondering about that because…I…saw a girl in one of the domes."

For a minute, Athrun sincerely believed he was going to be fired and thrown out on his overly inquisitive butt. An unidentified emotion flickered in Azrael's ice blue eyes for an instant, followed by nail-biting silence. At last: "A girl, you say? We've only one female clover stationed here."

"What are clovers?"

"My, you're quite the curious one, aren't you? So blunt, too. Well, clovers are children with special powers. They were all abandoned or handed over to us by people who couldn't care less about these--" Azrael paused, searching for the right word, "_unfortunate_ beings. Or, those people couldn't handle the children on their own. We house these clovers and keep them under special surveillance, taking note of their physical conditions until we can figure out how to cure them."

"Cure?" Now Athrun was really confused.

"Cure," Azrael repeated for the younger male's benefit. "If the clovers were set loose, they wouldn't be able to function in our society. They would be shunned and treated like aliens…which they could very well be."

And now this conversation was crossing over to the realm of science fiction. Then again, they did live in a pretty hi-tech world. "But what if they can't be cured?" Athrun watched Azrael's eyes again for any sign of an ulterior motive. He knew how easily men were seduced by the mere thought of having power and lots of it. His own father, Patrick Zala, had clearly demonstrated that several years ago when he became a CEO. Athrun hadn't spoken with his father for quite some time.

Azrael shrugged. "We keep them here until they die."

"Here?" Athrun echoed with a deep frown. "Do they even have a chance to live a normal life in this place? Isn't keeping them in those domes inhumane?"

"My thoughts precisely," Mwu said, clamping a hand down on Athrun's right shoulder.

Azrael released a vexed sigh. "Humane normally suggests 'human.' These clovers are not real humans, Athrun: therefore it is not considered inhumane for them to be here. They're different from us." Azrael then glared at both men. "Gentleman, I think we've wasted enough time already. How about you two get to work?"

* * *

"I really hate that scum-bucket," Mwu grumbled as he and Athrun worked on the Shield in a laboratory.

Athrun said nothing, focusing on the computer screen in front of them, while also thinking about what could possibly be the reason for Mwu to work under a boss he obviously detested.

"All that lazy idiot cares about is money. And the clovers."

Now that spawned another interesting question. "Mwu," Athrun said, typing away. "What kind of powers do these clovers have?"

All became quiet as Mwu's frown dissolved into a thoughtful expression, until he turned with a secretive smile. "How about I show you?"

* * *

After about ten minutes of walking and about three flights of stairs, Mwu led Athrun into a second rotunda (with a door showing the numbers "33133") that showcased a beautiful artificial setting consisting of a waterfall, tall bushes, and a stone pathway surrounded by healthy green grass. Light came from the sun shining through the white dome walls, at least until night arrived and then electrical lights would beam. Still, despite the man-made beauty, Athrun felt a little disappointed that they weren't visiting the girl.

"The clovers are divided into ranks," Mwu said as they rounded the first curve, like a garden maze. "One-leaf, two-leaf, three-leaf, and four-leaf. This kid I'm about to introduce you to is a three-leaf."

Absorbing this information and filing it away in his brain's cabinet, Athrun followed Mwu until they came to a clearing with a scientifically size-reduced oak tree in the center. Sitting at the base of the tree was a young clone of Mwu.

Well, maybe not an actual clone. "Athrun, meet Rey." At the sound of Mwu's voice, Rey looked up, his long hair still cascading around his face and shoulders, but with eyes that showed he was happy that Mwu had come to visit him. "Rey, this is Athrun, a friend of mine."

Curious about when he had been upped to the friend position, Athrun stepped forward with a warm smile. "H…Hello there." How did one greet a person with mysterious powers that could probably freeze him literally on the spot? Athrun shook away such mindless thoughts; this was reality.

Rey calmly greeted him with "Hello" and then went back to the object in his hands.

Athrun glanced at Mwu, waiting for a next move. Mwu took the cue and sauntered on over to the three-leaf. "What do you have there, Rey?"

As though Athrun wasn't there, Rey answered quietly, "It is a recording of a…piano."

"Music?" Mwu stretched out a hand and Rey handed over the object to him. The older male gave the object a close inspection before proclaiming with a laugh, "So you figured out how to do it, eh? That's great."

Unable to contain himself, Athrun blurted out, "What is?"

Mwu handed the recorder back to Rey before responding. "Rey here can manipulate anything virtual or electronic and it seems he managed to record someone playing a piano."

Rey turned a knob on the device and a familiar song played. Athrun recognized the song right away. "My friend, Nicol," he said, "played that last week. I don't understand how…?" Wait! The place where Nicol gave piano lessons and performed was directly across from the facility. Maybe he ought to introduce Nicol to Rey.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Mwu said, peering at Athrun from the side of his eyes. "He likes listening to music, preferably a piano."

Truthfully, Athrun was speechless.

"How did you do it?" Mwu asked Rey, giving him an encouraging smile.

Rey replied, "It's very complicated to explain." The seventeen-year-old glanced at Athrun dubiously.

Sensing the three-leaf's uncertainty, Mwu gestured towards Athrun. "It's OK. He doesn't like Azrael, either."

As Mwu kept Rey entertained by talking about random things and bad-mouthing Azrael, Athrun noticed a small black mark on Rey's wrist. Upon squinting his emerald green eyes, Athrun saw a three-leafed clover with several numbers underneath. _So they're marked…like cattle. _Athrun closed his eyes, suddenly sad. _Just another inhumane way of showing that he's different from me._

"Rey's the only three-leaf here," Mwu said to Athrun. "There are other clovers around the world and Rey can sense all of the ones of lower rank. In fact, I think he and that girl are the only higher ranked clovers."

So the girl was a three-leaf, too? Or…a four-leaf? Athrun turned to Rey. "Are there any more clovers in this city?"

Rey was silent for a moment, and then he said, "There is one more."

* * *

Time passed and Mwu and Athrun found themselves back in their offices. "He's very quiet," Athrun remarked, referring to Rey.

"Yeah." Mwu scribbled something down on a piece of paper. "He can be shy, too, when he wants to, at least with my wife, Murrue. Speaking of Murrue, you should come on over to my place sometime and meet her. She's a good cook."

Athrun smiled. "Thanks."

"How about tomorrow evening? Have dinner with us."

"Sure."

"I'm hoping to bring Rey…"

Athrun's typing halted. "You can do that?"

"Well…no," Mwu admitted. "It's against the rules for the clovers to leave their domes, but Rey deserves some time away from that lonely place," he finished with a soft voice, indicating his fondness for the clover.

"What about that…girl?"

"I've only met her once because I caught her off guard," Mwu responded, scratching his chin. "Most of the time she hides whenever I go into her dome."

"I see." And Athrun wondered why.

The clock in the right hand corner told Athrun that the time had come to leave for lunch. "We get a lunch break, right?"

Mwu stretched his arms, yawning. "Yeah. For 45 minutes. Where are you off to?"

"I'm meeting Nicol for lunch," Athrun answered. "You know, the one Rey listens to."

"Mm."

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Murrue and then eating in the cafeteria. Then, I'm going to go visit Rey again and try to visit Stellar."

"Stellar?"

"That's the winged girl's name."

"Oh."

* * *

Athrun and Mwu went their separate ways in the hallway; Mwu with his office in mind, and Athrun with the winged girl in mind. He had made up his mind. He was going to go see her: Stellar.

The halls seem eerily quiet as Athrun went back in the direction from where he had first arrived and he vaguely mused over why he didn't see too many people around. Perhaps they were all sitting in their offices in leather chairs with black coffee stains on important documents – like Mwu. Athrun smiled at that thought, glad to have met the older, easy-going man.

Within several minutes, Athrun found the door marked "44144" and finally understood what the numbers meant. Rey's door symbol and tattoo had centered on the number 3 and Rey was a three-leaf. The number 4 must certainly mean four-leaf so Stellar had to be a four-leaf.

Twisting the knob carefully, Athrun took tentative steps inside the dome as he met with warm humid air, a stark contrast to the cold bleak air inside the Facility. Breathing in the smell of the artificial jungle, Athrun descended down the stairs, every step's sound bouncing off the dome walls. As he walked, he took care to inspect the domes more closely. As Nicol had stated before, the dome did look like a giant birdcage.

He reached the bottom, stopping just before a beaten dirt path. Wiping the sweat off his brow, the navy-haired young male stepped onto the path. The air clung to him like he had grown another layer of skin. "Too hot in here," Athrun mumbled, stepping over an ingrown root.

At long last, he found a long pole stretching skyward and discovered that no one was sitting atop the small platform. _If she's not up there, then she's… _Athrun sighed, knowing she was probably hiding. _Might as well go back_, he thought, believing the whole trip had been a complete waste of time. However, there was one thing he hadn't tried. "Stellar?" he called out hesitantly, careful not to sound too loud as his voice echoed across the dome.

Silence answered him.

He tried again. "Stellar?"

Still no answer.

One more tactic: "I'm not with Azrael."

Athrun's heart leapt into his throat at the rustling bushes next to him. She was coming! Suddenly feeling like he was meeting a blind date, Athrun straightened out his posture and smoothed the creases in his uniform. Then…she appeared. Dressed in a strapless white dress, hemmed just below the knees, Stellar held her hand close to her chest, staring at Athrun with curiosity and fright.

Noticing she didn't have any wings, Athrun nodded, offering a gentle smile. "Hello. My name is Athrun." He wondered what kind of powers she had.

Seeing his smile comforted her slightly. Stellar cocked her head, quietly observing him. Athrun appeared to be nothing like Azrael. She didn't have visitors often, except for that man, but she always assumed that man was spying for Azrael. "Athrun come to see Stellar?" she said, suddenly excited.

He had, hadn't he? Amused at her speech, Athrun responded, "Yes. I came to visit you, actually." If Rey had someone to visit every day, why not her? Plus, Rey might even have the chance to meet his piano-playing idol, Nicol…oh, shoot! "I'm sorry, Stellar…I have to go."

The next sight almost tore his heart apart. Stellar looked at him with the hurtful gaze of a puppy. "Athrun is leaving Stellar?"

Did he ever feel terrible... "I'll be back," he reassured her. "I promise."

"Athrun will come back to see Stellar?

"Sure."

Stellar beamed at him.

* * *

Outside, at the street corner, Athrun watched the traffic go by. Pirate Palace stood only a couple of blocks away. "What a morning," he said softly, awaiting the signal to cross. _How much money do I have with me, anyway? _Athrun pulled out his wallet from his back pocket (he was still in his uniform) and pulled it open, counting mentally. Then the wallet was snatched from his hands. "Huh?" He looked up to see a boy with sky-blue hair running away. "Hey!" Athrun forgot about waiting to cross; he simply took off in hot pursuit of the thief.

Auel Neider glanced behind him. "Dang it, he's following me." Auel increased his speed while reaching onto his shoulder to scratch an itch that lay above a clover symbol.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you read the author's notes to avoid asking questions already answered. **

**There is going to be _slight_ Athrun x Stellar as some people requested I write another fan fiction with this pairing. **


	2. 02: Protected or Imprisoned?

**A/N: I do not own Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, or Clover. See chapter one for additional information. A special thanks goes out to my beta reader, Caorann fridh Bronach (always appreciated, my friend), as well as to those who reviewed. **

**Here is chapter two. There are only 5 chapters, by the way, and then an epilogue.**

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02: Protected or Imprisoned?

Oh, what a deliciously perfect time for this to be happening. Athrun knew he was already late meeting Nicol for lunch because of his short visit with Stellar, and now this – being the victim of a petty crime.

Rounding the block, Athrun kept the thief in sight at all times while zigzagging between people on the sidewalk. Not once did it occur to him to call out "Thief, thief!" and have somebody attempt to hinder the thief's path so Athrun wouldn't have to waste strength running. Athrun knew he wasn't in terrible shape – he did work out twice a week and jogged in the evenings – but all his energy had been devoted to research and work, causing him to yearn for caffeine. He needed to stay awake.

However, despite all these thoughts bouncing back and forth, Athrun was closing the distance between himself and the thief. With frightened gasps and whispers, people were moving out of the way. _He's soon going to find out that crime doesn't pay_, Athrun thought, unaware of what his next step in the race to catch a criminal was going to be. Ah, well. He'd figure it out later.

Several feet ahead, Auel checked again to see if he was still being pursued. _Why won't he give up like the rest? _The teenager decided to take a short cut by cutting into an alleyway. Perhaps he could dispose of the pursuer, but reckoned the idea as unlikely for he did not have any type of weapon him and there didn't appear to be one around to use. At least, objects like knives and guns. Auel spotted a trashcan. _Perfect_.

Auel's uniformed, emerald-eyed pursuer ran into the alley and threw himself to the ground, narrowly avoiding being hit by the lid of the trashcan. Athrun gulped down a breath of air and clumsily jumped to his feet while Auel lifted the trashcan and hurled it towards his hunter. Athrun barely dodged the trash-full missile in time. Irritated that the predator wasn't giving up on the prey, Auel spun around, preparing to sprint away. Athrun, though, took a running leap and tackled Auel to the ground like a pro football player.

"Get off me!" Auel snapped, struggling to be free.

Athrun clung onto Auel. "Not until you give that back! Actually, I should be taking you to the _police_!"

"It's not my fault you weren't paying close attention to your wallet!" The seventeen-year-old yanked his elbow backwards, nailing Athrun in the ribs.

The older male, though grunting with pain, finally forced the wallet out of Auel's hands. Auel took that chance to wriggle away and Athrun accidentally ripped part of Auel's orange shirt from gripping so tightly. It was then that Athrun saw the mark of a clover with one leaf. "A clover…" he whispered, inhaling sharply. _Just like Rey and Stellar._

The whisper was not quite low enough to go unheard. Auel stopped struggling and peered at Athrun from the ground. "You know about clovers?" he demanded, angry but curious.

Athrun sat back on his feet. "Did you escape?"

Auel got to his knees, ready to run if necessary. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Did you escape from the--"

"Oh, I get it." Auel's blue-green eyes glittered dangerously as both hands rolled into fists. "You think because I have the mark of a clover that I should be locked in a cage?" Auel snarled. "Well, for your information, I was locked up but I escaped before they could add their own little decoration to my clover mark. Happy?"

So that was why Auel had no numbers below his one-leaf. Athrun grimaced, feeling pretty awful in knowing he had offended the teenager. "I'm sorry, but I just thought…"

Auel then noticed the black and gold uniform Athrun was sporting. "So, you're one of the _heroes_, huh?"

Athrun blinked. "Heroes?"

"The guys who think they're so good, locking up people like me." Auel climbed to his feet, dusting dirt off of his pants. "So, what's it going to be? You going to haul me in? Take me back to my cage?"

Now Athrun found himself growing cross. "Listen, I'm not what you think I am," he said, standing to his feet as well. "It's just that, well, you might be safer back in the Facility."

Auel gave a short laugh. "Safer? You think I'll be safer? You simpleton. They're feeding you lies, like they did to me."

With his curiosity piqued, Athrun said, "Lies…?"

Auel shook his head. "I don't need to share my sob story. Go back to your false Facility."

Athrun pocketed his wallet, keeping his eyes on the teenager. "And what do you mean by that?"

The sky-blue haired teenager began to walk away, leaving his last words to echo in Athrun's ears: "Does the cage protect or imprison?"

* * *

"That's OK." Nicol reassured Athrun while checking his watch. "Apology accepted." The minstrel smiled warmly. "Want to grab some food at a fast food place instead?" 

"That'd be great. My 45 minutes are almost up," Athrun remarked, irked that his run-in with the thief had taken up almost his entire lunch break.

"How much time do you have?"

"Hmm…about 25 minutes left."

As they walked, Athrun began to explain all about his noon adventure, purposely leaving out the clover parts. "…And then he just left," Athrun said as they entered Captain Snackton. "I don't get it."

Nicol nodded sympathetically. "Sounds to me like there is more to him than just a boy angry with the treatment of that government facility."

"You could be right."

As Athrun ordered his lunch, his thoughts strayed back to the thief. How could someone be angry and juvenile and suddenly switch to an enigmatic personality? And the thief's last words – a cage _did_ protect and imprison. However, Azrael, the head honcho, stated that the cages were made for the purpose of protecting the clovers. The thief talked very briefly about imprisonment. So, who had the serpent's tongue? That question puzzled him the most and deeply unnerved him. Someone and something was wrong, but what? "Maybe I'd better ask when I get back."

Nicol grabbed his sandwich and took a bite. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon at work continued with an air of monotony. Even though he was good at it, researching and constructing was certainly no party. Athrun soon found himself bored and decided to check the Facility's history files to see if he could find any speck of information on the blue-haired kid he had encountered in the alley. After scanning through the list of folders, Athrun found the one he was looking for, titled "clovers." Double-clicking the folder introduced him to three files only. Apparently the government in this city only housed three clovers and had no history with other clovers. 

_I wonder how they came to be_, Athrun thought, clicking on the file that would reveal information about Stellar.

Surprisingly, the file contained very little information about the sixteen-year-old girl. Athrun did discover the reason why he hadn't seen her wings; she could control their appearance and seemed to bring them out during certain circumstances. Athrun began to read the observations:

_The wings emerged when birds were near the platform (when inhabited by subject)._

_The wings emerged when subject appeared to feel threatened._

And that was all. No conclusions had been made, save for a further observation about how Stellar disappeared into the jungle whenever someone entered. She did, however, consume the food given to herby workers (so there _were_ people after all!) and surveillance cameras recorded such instances. Otherwise, the scientists stationed in the Facility could not offer any explanation whatsoever about her strange habit of hiding, and they hadn't witnessed any show of her suspected powers.

Sighing, Athrun moved on, exiting the page and opening the file on Rey. Not so surprisingly, the file contained quite a bit of information on the seventeen-year-old three-leaf. Skipping over the paragraph on Rey's powers – because Athrun already knew what they were, for the most part – Athrun read the description of Rey: solitary, obedient, quiet. Nothing too exciting; Rey did not cause any trouble or problems for scientists or the workers tending to his needs. Athrun noted the last few sentences of the file:

_In conclusion, Rey has showed no sign of illness and is more than likely capable of cooperation. However, all personnel are advised to be cautious. Rey has made no attempt to subject himself to violent behavior, but observed powers may prove to be fatal if the clover is ever threatened. _

Remembering the look Rey had given him, Athrun felt a chill run down his spine, and wondered if Rey still perceived the emerald-eyed man as potential enemy. These clovers…Athrun knew they were neither to be taken lightly nor for granted.

Repeating the same process, Athrun clicked onto the third and final file, hoping there would be information on the blue-haired teenager. There Athrun learned that the name of the teenager was Auel and had no specific powers, if any at all. The only thing recorded read:

_The one-leafed clover appears to be a normal human being. Auel has not demonstrated any type of supernatural power or strength, but almost always resorts to physical, hand-to-hand violence whenever spoken to. Auel portrays himself as a typical teenage "punk" and seems to have developed some sort of relationship or friendship with the four-leafed clover, Stellar. Auel is currently outside the grounds and under the watch of security. _

Upon reading other files outside of clover information, Athrun discovered that Auel had been released shortly before Azrael came to be the head of the Facility. _Does Azrael know of Auel? _Athrun wondered before logging off his computer. Apparently, Azrael had only been appointed to the Facility by the government seven months ago. _Interesting, _he thought, curious as to why Azrael ever considered having a government service career.

* * *

A relieved Athrun walked down the hallway, anxious to return to his apartment. _I don't feel like making supper. Maybe I'll pop one of those instant meal things into the microwave instead. _Athrun chuckled softly. _I might as well give up on being healthy and rely on processed foods for the rest of my life. They're cheaper, too. _

He passed the window overlooking Stellar's dome, and stopped due to feeling an overpowering urge to see if she was on the platform. He was doubtful but chanced it anyway. Athrun peered through the glass and saw the young woman on the platform, her mechanical wings spread out, and her arms reaching towards the birds flying about her. A gentle smile spread across his face as a strange feeling took over him. She seemed so sweet and innocent, and Athrun felt the natural need to…_protect_ her, like Mwu seemed to want to do for Rey.

A bird flew towards the window and Stellar's purple eyes followed the creature, and she saw Athrun. Stellar waved, happy to see him. Would he come visit her again today?

Athrun waved back and then disappeared from view. Stellar held her breath as she waited and wished for the sound of the metal doors opening. Sadly, there was no such sound, and with ebbed happiness, Stellar's wings retreated to her hunched form.

* * *

Time crawled like a snail, much to Athrun's annoyance. In fact, he was surprised at how eager he was for morning to arrive so he could return to work. He shared this feeling with Nicol on their customary walk to the street where they departed for their own separate destinations. "Can you believe it?" Athrun shook his head, kicking a pebble in front of him. 

"Maybe dealing with this Azrael character has made you insane," Nicol suggested cheerfully, shifting his music portfolio from one hand to the other. A yawn escaped from the dark depths of his throat. "So, tell me about this Rey fellow."

Athrun brightened. Finally, something not strange and depressing to discuss! "I think he's a big fan of your music. He, uh, heard one of your songs from his dome."

"Really? I didn't know my music traveled that far."

"He has incredible hearing skills." Well, that could be partly true. If Rey liked Nicol's piano playing, the clover had to have a good ear for music, not to mention good taste.

Delighted to have a fan, Nicol turned to Athrun and asked, "Is it possible to meet him in person?"

"Maybe." _If Mwu is able to bring Rey to supper tonight, maybe, _Athrun thought, remembering what Mwu had said the day before.

"Do you think he'd want to learn how to play the piano?" Nicol said, wincing as a loud motorcycle whizzed by.

"I don't know," Athrun answered. "Maybe."

"Is 'maybe' all you can say?"

"Maybe," Athrun said teasingly with a grin. "I guess it can't hurt to ask."

"Thanks." Nicol checked ahead for the end of the street. "Almost there…"

"Want to meet again for lunch?"

"Sorry. Won't be able to make it today. I've got an appointment with the dentist."

"Hope you remembered to brush this morning." Athrun smiled. Ah, well, perhaps it was for the best. He really couldn't afford to be buying lunch every day unless he dared to borrow from his multi-millionaire father after paying the bills and the lease. Plus, eating in the cafeteria – hopefully the place didn't have the famed, exaggerated, stereotypical meals seen in comics and movies – would give him a chance to get to know Mwu better. Athrun liked the man. Mwu was pretty easy to get along with; it was impossible to hate him.

"I did. See?" Nicol showed his teeth. "My pearly whites are as clean as ever."

"Not to mention as blinding as ever," Athrun joked. Boy, was he in a good mood or what? Curse Mwu and his contagious cheerful demeanor.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Nicol stopped walking, preparing to cross the street. "Well, see you later."

"Later."

* * *

At noon, Athrun quickly devoured his lunch, which consisted of plain ham and cheese sandwiches, water, salad, and fudge ("The next thing you know, we'll be getting lunch boxes with pictures of Superduper Man on the side with a little toy inside," Mwu had said), and left for Stellar's dome. No doubt Azrael probably ate in his office with gourmet take-out, so Athrun suspected that he wouldn't be caught speaking with Stellar for the next twenty minutes. 

His excitement was short-lived, however, when he entered the dome calling for the girl, and receiving no answer. Not even the "I'm not with Azrael" tactic worked. "Stellar? It's me, Athrun, remember?"

All of a sudden, a headache developed and steadily grew worse. Athrun moaned, touching the side of his head. Where had that come from?

"Athrun did not come to see Stellar!" a voice broke out from behind some bushes. "Athrun broke his promise!"

"S-Stellar?" The pain bordered on the edge of excruciating. No other explanation came to mind; the sudden headache had to be from Stellar. Athrun dropped to his knees, clutching his head with both hands. "Ugh, Stellar…Stellar, I'm sorry…" Squeezing his eyes tightly, Athrun cried out for her to stop. "Stellar, please, if y-you're doing this…please…stop!" If she didn't, Athrun felt his head would surely explode. "Aahh!"

Then, as mysteriously as it had come, the throbbing vanished.

"Athrun!" Stellar delicately darted over to the hunched human. "Athrun!" She vigorously shook his body, hoping she hadn't killed him.

Dazed, Athrun lifted his head from his knees and waited for his eyes to adjust to the light. "Stellar?" he muttered, and she stopped shaking him.

"Athrun!" Stellar embraced him. "Athrun is OK?" She pulled back and stared at him.

"Why did you do that?" Athrun demanded, facing her, his eyes like a raging green ocean. "I could have died!"

Stellar let go of him, shrinking back onto her heels with a wounded expression. "Stellar is sorry," she whispered.

Athrun vaguely recalled a similar look he had received from a younger cousin when Athrun had discovered that the child had broken a vase. He had regretted acting out in anger right away that day. His cousin hadn't known any better, and Stellar -- perhaps she didn't know any better, either. She was no ordinary human being.

"Stellar," Athrun started, this time calmly, "Did you do that?"

Stellar nodded.

"Why?"

"Because!" Stellar jumped to her feet and backed away from him, looking very angry. "Athrun did not come to see Stellar like he promised!"

"Yesterday?" Athrun, too, stood to his feet. "I had to go home," he said, frowning softly at her. "But see? I came back today."

"Athrun will visit Stellar, now?"

"Of course."

Stellar's mood instantly turned to one full of smiles. "Come!" She grabbed his hand. "Stellar wants to show Athrun flowers!"

"Oof!" Athrun allowed himself to be practically dragged along the pathway leading to the same clearing in the center of the dome, which was precisely the location of the flowers Stellar wanted to show him.

"Look!" Stellar pointed to the patch of flowers. "People put those flowers here today."

Nodding and trying desperately to ignore the lump that had formed in his throat, Athrun gingerly touched one of the flowers. _They're fake. Figures. Heck, the birds are probably fake, too, maybe mechanical. _"They're nice," he said, not really knowing what to say.

Stellar pointed to each flower. "Blue, yellow, white – they are very pretty. What are they?"

Athrun responded quietly, "This type of flower is called a hyacinth."

Stellar repeated the word to herself twice and knelt down, smiling at their beauty. Sensing the silence from Athrun, she quickly glanced upwards, seeing a certain emotion on his face. "Why is Athrun sad?" she said, reaching up to twist a lock of her hair.

Athrun met her curious eyes with his sorrow-filled ones. "I…my mother was a florist and a gardener," he explained, deciding to spill his life story. "And she taught me all about flowers and their meanings."

"That is why Athrun is sad?" Stellar asked, confused.

"No," Athrun said solemnly. "For _that_ I am grateful. No, I'm sad because she died many years ago." The malicious lump had returned.

At "died," Stellar shuddered, hugging her arms to her body. "Stellar doesn't like death. Stellar is afraid."

"Me, too," Athrun whispered, remembering his wonderful and amazing mother, and that day when he had to say good-bye.

"How did Athrun's mother die?"

Her and her questions; Athrun swallowed hard, replying, "She and I were in a car accident." He sat down beside her on the warm grass. "I made it out with a few injuries, but she had fatal ones." A teardrop slipped from his eye. Even though Lenore Zala's death had been over five years ago, he still found the pain of memory annoyingly fresh. "She died with a smile, though, saying she was glad I was all right and wanted nothing more than for me to live on." Athrun closed his eyes, allowing a few more tears to slide down his face. _I really miss you, Mom._

Stellar said nothing albeit she donned a thoughtful expression. Then: "Is that love?"

Athrun opened his eyes. "Huh?"

Stellar then explained how she had heard two female workers talking about love from an opera with soap. Apparently "Jim" confessed his love for "Sally," then "Sally" cheated on "Jim" ("Stellar does not understand. Were they playing a game?"), and how devastated "Jim" was when he found out. "Jim" then proceeded to get even with "Sally." "Is that love?" Stellar stared at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

So the workers drank black coffee and watched soap operas, too. Athrun bet that they probably gossiped about celebrities – thankfully, the only person Mwu ever seemed to "gossip" about was Azrael with rather unpleasant words. Athrun sighed. "No, that's not love. Not real love, anyway. Love is…"

"_What's love, Momma?" a seven-year-old Athrun asked as he climbed onto his mother's lap._

"_Ah, love…" Lenore laughed as she pulled Athrun close to her. "I heard something about the greatest love being when someone lays down their life for someone else. Love is an incredible feeling. It's pure and joyous, sweetie."_

"Love is pure," Athrun said at last, facing the four-leafed clover. "And joyous. You can give love to anyone you choose…family, friends..."

Silence once more poured over the atmosphere. Stellar's fingers continued to delicately drift across the unnatural surface of the colored petals, caressing each one with such great care and attention that she might as well have been a gardener if it weren't for the enclosed surroundings. _I should bring her a real flower, _Athrun thought, creating a mental note to stop by the flower shop before heading home.

The four-leaf suddenly giggled as her fingers came to a halt atop one of the blue-colored hyacinths.

Arching an eyebrow, three words slipped from his lips. "What's so funny?"

"Auel."

Oh, this sparked a flame of interest. "Auel?" Athrun repeated, feeling very inquisitive at the moment.

"Auel is Stellar's friend. This flower reminds Stellar of Auel's hair, and Stellar remembers all the funny things Auel said." Her expression saddened. "Stellar misses Auel."

Athrun's heart went out to her; if only she knew that Auel wasn't exactly that far from the Facility. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on her bare shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I'm sure he'll…visit someday soon."

Stellar stiffened, surprised by the friendly human contact. Embarrassed, and taking her reaction in a completely different way, Athrun pulled his hand back and brought his gaze to the jungle. Stellar sighed, standing up. "Does Athrun like to dance?"

Caught off guard again, Athrun shook his head slowly. "No, I, er, never had the opportunity to take dance lessons. I didn't even go to my high school dances." Actually the reason he hadn't gone was because he hadn't any dates for all those times. The death of his mother and the separation from his father hadn't made him the most friendly, outgoing person of the year. Not that he had been in any mood to go party – there would be no one home to call if he ever ran late.

Stellar stretched her arms out and began to twirl around. "Stellar loves to dance!" she declared, now swinging her arms everywhere. She didn't know the latest dance steps or the cool tunes to go with them; she knew how to express her joy in the only way she could. She laughed.

Athrun thought it was the loveliest sound in the world.

* * *

"Is that so?" Mwu scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we keep tabs on him, and so far he hasn't done anything dangerous." 

"Except rob people," Athrun added bitterly. "Did you know that?"

The older man shrugged his shoulders. "Auel's too elusive for the police to pursue him. We can't do anything about it. Besides, he's not our primary concern here, anyway."

"_I_ caught him."

"Good for you, kid. Maybe you ought to be working for the police, then."

"I can see you are not going to take me seriously." Contrary to his words, however, inside Athrun didn't feel too frustrated with Mwu and the Facility's lack of action regarding Auel; keeping calm about the situation eased his guilt in first thinking Auel deserved to be "caged." "However, I think you should know that _he_ knows a lot about this place."

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He said he was fed lies and that…I am, too." Athrun took another deep breath, wondering if this piece of information would go well or badly with Mwu.

The air around Mwu darkened, and it seemed as if the place had become a morgue – dead quiet. Athrun waited for the axe to fall. "He did, huh?" Mwu pressed his lips together tightly. "Auel was always adept at picking up on things like that," he said softly. _And probably one of the reasons why he chose to escape_, he mused.

Athrun persevered, "Auel is lying or he is telling the truth. I don't like being kept in the dark." He stared hard at Mwu. "What's the verdict?"

Mwu returned the gaze keenly. "The jury might still be out on that one, kid. Are you still coming over for dinner?"

* * *

"Auel is a sincere liar," Azrael murmured with a lazy grin. "I told him he would benefit mankind, and he will. I think it's high time we brought him back. He's had his fun for awhile." The man had been listening in the surveillance room. Calmly, he reached over to press a single button. "Kalden, please send word for the Hawk force to find and capture our missing property." 

"The one-leaf, sir?" Kalden's static-sounding voice replied from the intercom; Auel was the only missing "property" the workers knew of.

"Precisely."

"Yes, sir."

Azrael turned around, heading for the exit. "I think Mr. La Fllaga and young Mr. Zala are in need of a lecture tomorrow morning," he said to himself.

* * *

"So do you have a girlfriend, Athrun?" Murrue asked, setting down an empty plate in front of the obviously reddening twenty-one-year-old. 

"Uh, no," Athrun answered truthfully, blushing even more when Mwu's wife chuckled. He forced out a small laugh unsuccessfully. "Not at the moment."

Conversation was light and cheery as they ate dinner, even though Mwu had not been able to bring Rey (Mwu explained about encountering a risky moment before leaving). Murrue La Fllaga proved to be a very good cook, as well as an extremely kind woman even though Athrun glimpsed bits of her sternness as the brunette chided Mwu for his jokes and colorful language when she had asked him about his day. As it turned out, Murrue, daughter of Police Chief Ramius, was also a security officer, which did explain the handgun and flashlight Athrun had seen in their bedroom on a chair on the way to the bathroom.

The conversation then turned serious. "Athrun," Mwu began, clearing his throat. "Another reason for inviting you over is to discuss the clovers and Azrael."

Athrun leaned forward. "I'm listening."

Murrue, too, listened intently. Mwu had filled her in on his suspicions, and even though she worked as a law enforcement officer, she couldn't investigate further; there was no concrete evidence but hunches, instincts, mere feelings that held no candle to where solid facts were concerned.

"I think – no, I _know_ that Azrael has something up his sleeve," Mwu said, casting a look towards the windows, as if expecting to see someone hanging outside with a listening device. "Rey and Stellar are in danger."

Certain that his heart rate can increased a little, Athrun swallowed hard, and his voice came out cracking, "Wha—sorry." He coughed. "Excuse me." Athrun met Mwu's serious gaze. "What do you mean?"

"It goes like this," Mwu began, "The previous president suddenly died, allowing Azrael to move up from being vice president. Now, that all sounds perfect normal right? Some head honcho croaks and the next guy line takes over." Mwu paused, nodding his thanks as Murrue chose that moment to clear away the dishes from the table. "Anyway, I have my suspicions that the former president, Isaac M. Johnson, was murdered."

An icy coldness seemed to freeze his innards. "Murdered" held a rather different meaning than "killed." "Murder" tended to mean "killed in cold blood" as far as Athrun was concerned; a killing with a purpose. "You think he was murdered?"

Mwu nodded, looking graver than ever with his deep blue eyes clouding over, appearing stormy, and his lips pressed together in a firm line. "You see, the Facility has its own security force so they investigated the Facility in compliance with the police' orders; the police were never allowed inside, and they never questioned that because everyone believes all government activity is top secret. While that sounds cliché, it's true. I know something is going on beyond what we can see." Mwu took a break to reach for his glass of water while Athrun remained silent, trying to take all of this new information in. Gulping down the cool liquid, Mwu set his glass down on the table quickly and resumed his explanation. "According to the security forces of the Facility, Johnson committed suicide and a lot of the workers testified that he had been quiet in his last days. Even his wife admitted to that. Everyone did but me."

"And a few from the police force, including me," Murrue said, breaking into the discussion. "They later sent us photographs of his body and his office, and then later the body was brought out. Johnson…" Murrue paused, taking a deep breath, and Mwu reached over with his hand, rubbing her shoulder with the palm. "I saw the photographs and the body. Johnson looked to have died from a shot to the head. He died instantly."

Athrun tried to understand; there was something about this that confused him. "I don't mean to be blunt…but why couldn't it have been suicide? I mean, if his own wife said he was depressed before--"

"I knew Johnson," Mwu interrupted, his chin settling down on his knuckles, propped up by his elbow on the table. "Everyone did. Everyone liked him. He was a fun guy to be around and treated his employees as equals. Then, Azrael came in two months earlier, replacing the last guy, who had retired, as vice president. Things pretty much went downhill from there. Azrael was strict and had the security force under his command. And he and Johnson didn't like each other that much, plus Azrael was chosen by somebody higher in the government. Johnson couldn't have hired him."

Athrun nodded to affirm the fact that he was still listening.

Mwu glanced at the window again and then his gaze strayed to the oven clock. "I better finish off quickly. You probably have things to do at home."

_Like my laundry, _Athrun thought dryly, and shook his head. "It's all right. Go on."

"Well, before Johnson died, the clovers were free to roam the Facility and even spend time outside in the streets like a normal person. In fact, Rey and Stellar weren't locked up securely, but now they are under Azrael. Apparently Azrael thinks that the clovers were behind Johnson's suicide. Said they drove him mad in the end with their powers. I can hardly believe that."

_Same here. _Athrun looked down at the edge of the table in front of him, recalling Stellar's display of power, but also her portrayal of innocence and joy. How could she be responsible for the death of another person?

"I don't know what's up, but I intend to find out ASAP. That should explain why I've been falling behind in my work." Mwu's lip curled upward in a grin, and Athrun found himself relieved to see Mwu's brighter personality surfacing. "I've been thinking a lot about it and Murrue's doing the best she can."

"A few others and myself are planning to enter the Facility in order to conduct further investigation _ourselves_." Murrue sighed. "I just don't know how we're going to do that, though. Gaining access to that place is almost impossible."

"I know how you feel," Athrun said to her, offering a grim smile, remembering his first day of work. "Well, Mwu…I'll think this over…tonight," he said quietly, standing up from the table. He would, indeed, have quite a bit to ponder over. Behind his slightly cheery good-bye, he felt like he was crossing a shaky suspension bridge; uncertain danger loomed below in the darkness. "Yeah, I'll think it over…"

"Don't delay too long," Mwu told him sternly. "You never know what might happen."

* * *

One lone person, veiled by the shadows of the trees in the park directly across Mwu's home, watched Athrun enter his vehicle. "I wonder if I should kill you right now," the stranger said out loud, drawing only the attention of the leaves. 


	3. 03: Classified Information

**Author's Notes: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny or Clover; it's all written for fun and no profit whatsoever. Thank you to those who reviewed. There will be more chapters now in order to spread out the POVs. Basically, the writing style has changed, but it will be told in Athrun's POV mainly still. The chapter is short, I know, but it's necessary right now until the fifth chapter.**

* * *

03: Classified Information

Fingers drifted across the frame of a picture of Lenore Zala until they descended upon the screaming electronic monster of a device: the alarm clock. Athrun groaned, one eye opening to behold the time. _8 AM. _Today his body did not feel like dragging itself out of bed and into the shower. Athrun had accidentally stayed up well into the night, thinking over Mwu's words and waiting for the laundry to finish, and hadn't entered his bedroom until about 1 AM. Of course, that two-hour movie was partly to blame as well; he needed something to take his mind off of reality for awhile. Strangely enough, the movie had been about spies, which had made him wonder about the Facility – _again_.

Bleary-eyed Athrun glanced outside the bedroom window, where he had forgotten to close the blinds. He could see two birds perched upon his tiny balcony, chirping away as if they had thrown their cares and woes to the wind. Then they flew away. Their wings promptly reminded him of Stellar. _I'll visit her again today. _Athrun closed his eyes, reminding himself to be cautious as well when he entered the Facility again. _If what Mwu says is true, then nobody in the Facility is safe. _Athrun decided he had better keep an eye out for any strange activity. He didn't like Azrael that much and it appeared that the clovers did not like him, either. _Maybe I had better ask Stellar about him. Maybe Rey, too._

Athrun sighed, feeling sleep take over his senses once more.

* * *

Two hours later, Athrun found himself cringing when he entered the lab where Mwu was sitting casually in front of a computer. "Athrun! You're almost an hour late," Mwu greeted his co-worker.

"Yes, I know," Athrun muttered through clenched teeth, dropping his body down onto a chair. "I overslept."

"You need a wife to wake you up." Mwu flipped his pen around until it came to a halt on his lips. "Better yet, get a dog. A wife will dump water on your face if you don't get up for work."

Athrun smiled, suppressing a chuckle. "Has that happened to you?"

"Let's just say a dog wouldn't know how to turn the handles on a sink," Mwu answered, flashing his teeth.

Athrun chuckled lightly and switched on his computer. "What's the penalty for being late?" he asked, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "Nobody stopped me when I came in."

"I don't think anybody cares." Mwu reached for his cup of coffee and took a long drink. "Maybe that's what Azrael has to talk to you about. He wants us both in his office."

"When?" Athrun whipped his head around to his friend, feeling his stomach do a flip. Quickly he grasped the mouse at the right of the keyboard, wishing he could transfer some of his nervousness into the machine.

"To quote the big cheese, 'As soon as Zala arrives,'" Mwu replied, sitting up to read a document on the screen. "Come to think of it, it should be _ham,_" he murmured.

Athrun did not respond as he logged on with his user name and password, pounding the keys.

Mwu noticed the noise, breaking momentarily from his reading. "Someone's in a hurry," he remarked, glancing briefly at Athrun before returning to the computer.

Athrun again did not acknowledge Mwu's words until ten minutes passed. Nervousness was turning into outright anxiety, but Athrun refused to reveal his feeling, instead asking, "Should we go now?"

"Nah. Let him wait a bit."

"That might make him angrier."

"Who said he was angry?" Mwu leaned back from reading off the screen to look at his co-worker.

"...No one," Athrun replied, mentally berating himself for showing a lack of caution. So much for avoiding the subject of his worry.

Mwu, however, wouldn't let it go. "You been doing something you aren't supposed to?"

Athrun stared at his computer screen, although not fully concentrating on what was shown. "That all depends," he said, barely audible, tapping his fingers on the desktop sporadically.

"...On what?"

Oh, how he despised moments like this. Athrun shot Mwu a sideways glance and nothing more, choosing to keep eye contact with the computer screen. "Never mind. I think I'll go see Azrael now," Athrun said at last, saving the latest work he had done on the plans.

"Hey, wait." Mwu stood up, jogging a little to catch up with the fast-striding Athrun, who was already several feet down the corridor. "You didn't answer the question, kid..."

Wasn't that already obvious? Athrun swallowed, knowing he _could_ share with Mwu about the visits with Stellar; after all, Mwu visited Rey, but for some unknown reason, Athrun found he couldn't. The words and will just wouldn't come. Relief filled him when Mwu apparently decided not to press the subject.

The two men reached Azrael's office, not at all surprised to see the blond boss on the phone and munching on fine chocolates in a white box in the middle of his desk. "Use a tranquilizer. Don't argue – just _do_ it, you incompetent _fool!_" Azrael slammed the phone down. Catching sight of his workers, Azrael smiled, and leaned forward over his desk. "Ah, so nice of you to drop by."

"Drop the act," Mwu said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "What do you want?"

"What act?" Azrael countered smoothly, folding his hands under his chin. "You shouldn't make accusations, La Fllaga, not when you two have been hiding important information from me."

Athrun froze, standing straight as a board, closer to Azrael than Mwu, whose jaw stiffened.

"I happened to overhear your conversation yesterday before you both left – about one of the clovers, Auel Neider."

Athrun's shoulders relaxed a bit, though maintaining nonchalance while Azrael inspected each of them with his scrutinizing gaze.

"Zala, you should have told me right away that Auel attacked you," Azrael said with a serene smile and cold eyes. "Auel is highly unstable, and it is crucial that we have the knowledge of any incident related to him."

"Then—" _Then why is Auel allowed to roam free?_

"Yes?" Azrael raised an eyebrow at the tongue-tied Zala.

Athrun hesitated. Finally, he shook his head. "Sorry. I was thinking of something else."

"I see." Azrael smirked. "That is all. Now get back to work."


	4. 04: Tranquility

**Author's Notes: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny or Clover.**

* * *

04: Tranquility

Evening rolled around, and the Facility was nearly empty. Only security guards and late-night shift workers remained. One worker entered the dome where the one-leaf was being kept – an environment similar to Rey's, but with more artificial rocky terrain – and went to the center to scoop up the empty dishes on a silver tray.

Auel still harbored fury towards the cursed Facility, but the drab meal was the best he had eaten since being on the streets. The one-leaf watched from a tree closer to the stairs, and when the worker passed by, Auel carefully and quietly climbed down and then up the stairs, stooping low, and disappeared into the corridor, shaking his head about dumb workers forgetting to lock the doors – _he_ was dangerous, after all, if they went through all the trouble tranquilizing him.

The one-leaf knew exactly where to go. Within minutes, Auel was at the door to Stellar's dorm, and checked the knob first to see if it was unlocked. The door opened, and Auel smiled at the careless mistake.

Thick, warm air greeted him, but didn't stop him. Auel ran down the stairs, and left the pathway diving into the bushes.

The rustling of his movement in the greenery echoed in the dome, and alerted Stellar of the presence of what she perceived to be an intruder; Athrun never visited her around this time. Stellar rose from her sleeping position on a cot and raggedy blanket, wondering if she should prepare to hide or fend off whoever it was.

However, to her great shock, Auel came walking out of the jungle, a slight frown and a couple of scratches on his face.

"Auel!" Stellar broke into a run and practically flew into the seventeen-year-old. "Stellar is so happy to see Auel!" She wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug

Auel half-heartedly pushed her away, reddening in the dimmed, overhead lights lining the dome. "Let go!" Still, he couldn't deny the sudden burst of emotion in his heart at the sight of her. It had been far too long.

Stellar didn't seem bothered by the light shove. She took a step back to take in his appearance of an orange T-shirt and blue jeans, much different from the white uniform he had to wear when he was last contained. "Where did Auel go?"

Auel grinned, interested in sharing about his "adventures." "I'll tell you." They sat down on the turf, cross-legged, and Auel began his "tale" of the outer world. "I was allowed to live out there in the city, and I got these clothes from some place they call the 'Good Will Centre.' There was a guy taking care of me, but he's gone. Don't know where he went, don't really care. I stayed in his apartment until they kicked me out. Then I slept in the park."

Stellar listened attentively as he spoke.

"It was rough at first because I hated sleeping outside when it was raining, but you get used to it. I'd rather sleep by the ocean than _here_, anyway..." Auel said bitterly.

"Ocean?" Stellar blinked. "Where is it? Stellar wants to see the ocean!"

Auel crossed his arms, releasing a short laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, Stellar. You know you'll never leave this place."

Stellar glared, and Auel suddenly was hit by a surging wave of power.

"Hey, hey, _stop!_" Auel snapped, knowing full well what her powers could do. He growled her orders to cease while holding his head, rocking back and forth on his bottom. "_Stop!_"

The pain Auel was experiencing dissipated. Her eyes swept over him with concern until she frowned. "Auel doesn't have to be so _mean_."

"It's the truth—idiot!" Auel returned her glare just as fiercely. "Don't do that again!"

"Stellar _will_ see the outside!"

Auel could scarcely believe how stubborn she was being, more so than usual—even more than he usually was! "I give up."

Stellar ignored his last comment. "Tell Stellar more," she encouraged, offering one of her curious smiles.

Auel sighed, continuing, "Well, I stole food and money from people to survive. You don't get anything for free, not even when you need it desperately, like I did. I think I lost some weight... Anyway, most people can't run very fast," he snickered, and then frowned. "Except for this one guy." Auel went on to describe the rest of his adventures, mostly depicting the city life of other homeless people, loud music and traffic, and he even spoke of the time he slipped into the nearby zoo unnoticed ("The two tigers were cool.").

"There are lots of people out there," Auel remarked, glaring at the ground. "Most of them have it better than we do."

Gloom descended upon the atmosphere, more so than usual. Stellar picked at the grass, and then brightened. "Stellar made a new friend!"

Auel stared at her, not all that interested. It was probably Rey.

Stellar continued, "Athrun visits Stellar now, so Stellar isn't so lonely anymore. Athrun came today."

"Huh? Who's Athrun?"

"A worker."

Auel snapped, "You're not_ supposed_ to be friends with workers! They'll only betray you in the end!"

"No!" Stellar protested, "Athrun is different, and would never betray Stellar!"

"You don't know that!" Auel jumped to his feet, staring her down. "It doesn't matter how nice the workers are – they're against you, against all of us!"

"No!" Stellar climbed to her feet, magenta eyes burning, repeating her defiance. "Athrun is kind, and would _never_ betray Stellar!"

Auel released a frustrated sigh, knowing reasoning with her in this state would never work. "Fine! But don't blame _me_ when you find out the truth." She was really hooked on this Athrun. "Humph." He turned his back on her, crossing his arms.

The four-leaf girl yawned, seeming to forget their argument. "Stellar is...very tired."

"So go to sleep," Auel muttered, turning to leave and go back to his own cage.

"Don't go, Auel."

Her sobered voice stopped him in his tracks. "Why?" he asked, turning around to look at her. She _still_ wanted him to stay in spite of being yelled at?

"Please stay with Stellar. It gets so lonely at night."

Auel glanced skyward, debating. If he stayed any longer, he would be caught and most likely dragged back to his dome with punishment. On the other hand, he hadn't seen her in awhile, and she was the least secure and confident of the clovers, the clingy type. It couldn't hurt to stay until she fell asleep. "Fine. Go to your bed then."

Beaming, Stellar all but skipped back to her cot, but paused, turning to ask him, "Where will Auel be?"

He wasn't excited about sitting on the ground for a long time. "I'll sit here," he said, walking over to the head of her cot.

Stellar lifted the gray blanket off the bed and wrapped it around herself. Wordlessly, she climbed onto the cot, and placed herself next to Auel, leaning against his shoulder. "Good night, Auel," she whispered, closing her eyes.

Auel tensed, unused to the close contact. However, hearing her soft breathing, feeling the warm air, and the strangely comforting shadows from and in the jungle, Auel decided to enjoy the moment, for he knew this moment would be the last tranquil moment he would ever experience.

"Good night."


End file.
